A New Magic
by RosyRossum
Summary: Everyone knows the story about The Boy Who Lived and has learned a bit about the wizards and their history, but here is a story about a new kind of magic amongst the wizards and a new character that learns the hardships of the wizarding world.
1. Chapter 1, The Beginning

Harry Potter is one of the most well-known stories about the wizarding world, but J.K. Rowling, the noted witch who put "the boy who lived" to life through her fantastical book series, never gave much detail about the other creatures that dwelled among the magical…

The circular room was silenced as the woman and her child stood in the dead center. Aside from the couple, all others were sitting on raised platforms, observing them. On the highest platform sat the high councilwoman, Cedra. She was droning on and all ears were fixed on her words, taking them in, especially the mother's.

"…Is a danger to us all. If you were not of such a high status, Kemina, you too would be slaughtered for the crime. However, since the only proof is that child, we can rid ourselves of her and be done with the case," The language was soft and enticing, gentle even when stern. High councilwoman leaned forward in her seat, anticipating Kemina's decision. This was one of the worst cases in over a hundred years and she wanted nothing more than to be done with it.

"P-Please, Councilwoman! She is a child, it was not her fault that I was so reckless and stupid…How can you slaughter an innocent child? She is merely the outcome of an eccentric mother who deserves death in her place!" Kemina Nyx spoke rapidly, her language the same soft-spoken, beautiful spew as Cedra's, only there was a hint of panic in it.

"Very true Kemina, but I cannot allow her to live among us. Already the other children question her difference. We have finally managed to erase the wizard's from our past, this new generation has proven revolution to us. What shall you have me do? Ruin all our hard work for a mere child? What of the other children? Knowledge of wizard's is harmful knowledge. Those who know will grow curious…we cannot have that."

Silence fell over the room and its inhabitants, all of the council's eyes moved between the councilwoman to Kemina and her child, and back again.

"Then give her to them," Her voice was small and full of fear.

"By 'them' I believe you mean the wizards, dear Kemina?"

The mother could only nod and hold back her tears. The idea scared her, but she was even more afraid of what would happen to her daughter should she stay among them.

"This meeting is adjourned for one hour as the council and I have much to discuss. You and your daughter may go where you like, but if you do not return within the specified time we will be forced to get brutal. See you soon, " The councilwoman spoke, sitting up to her fullest height so as to look more authorative.

Kemina scurried out of the room, pushing along the six-year-old girl at her side. As soon as the doors slammed behind her, the circular room was in an uproar.

"Absolutely not!" Nike Ophelos boomed, thrusting his fist down on the desk before him. He was the lowest of the council members but his voice was still heard.

"Do explain your outburst, Nike," Councilwoman asked inquisitively.

He looked taken aback, but cleared his throat and went to explain, "Because if we send her out there, the wizards will question OUR existence. Surely they will experiment and search for us? I believe they have forgotten about us by now, it's been centuries!!"

Councilwoman took in this information, although she had already known that and had been questioning that too.

"But we cannot slaughter that child, she has done nothing wrong- it's that mother of hers that has! She has done something unspeakable and yet she persists to live!" Pandora Lynix, third rank council member pursed her lips and looked at the rest of the room with challenging eyes.

"Mm but Kemina is vital to us, we need her skill. We can overlook it but something has to be done about the child."

Slowly more and more members put in their two sense and a few members got into heated arguments.

"ENOUGH!" Councilwoman boomed and the room quieted instantly. "I-" She started only to be cut off by a nervous young man who peeked into the room.

"C-c-c-councilwoman! U-umm…The hour is up and…umm…Nyx and her child are back."

"Tell them to wait, the decision is nearly made…"

The man nodded and pulled out of the room as quickly as he could, happily taking his chances with the woman and the kid than with the councilwoman.

As the door banged shut, Cedra closed her eyes only to open them moments later. "As I was saying, I think we should take our chances with the wizards. If they have not found us thus far then what will it hurt if they discover the child? She isn't pure elven blood so they will not be able to gather much information about us off of her. We have destroyed all their records of us so even if a wizard or two does exist with the knowledge of our once existence in their lives, surely they are old enough that their own kind will mark them as loony?"

Whispers revolved around the room and the High Councilwoman cleared her throat, ceasing all noise.

"Those in favor-"

Hands rose up, but a few faces questioned her.

"But I thought-" Nike started and was hushed immediately.

"I was not in favor of killing of the child, I just thought it the only option. I will do whatever it takes to rid her infection from the rest of our youth but I don't think death is necessary. NOW, those in favor-"

This time most of the room raised their hands. Most of them didn't do it because it was their actual opinion, they did it because they feared the councilwoman's anger. She seemed pleased with herself that so many agreed to her decision.

"Send Kemina in, I believe she will be happier with this conclusion."

Kemina stepped in the room, the small girl following her closely behind. The girl kept her eyes on the floor, not really understanding the chatter of the council but still afraid because of the seriousness of their tones.

"So?" Kemina looked around at the council, her eyes wide with hope as well as fear.

"She will return to the wizards, her magic should be enough like theirs that she will be accepted in."

Kemina broke down in tears, her legs wobbling as they threatened to buckle under her weight. "How long…do I…have…left?" She asked between sobs.

"A week, you will bring her back in a week to have her memories suppressed. Then we will leave her to the wizards."

Kemina's legs did buckle and she hugged her child to her, her entire frame shaking as she sobbed into the little girl's hair.

"Momma?" She asked, confused and scared.

"It's alright baby, we're going home now…" Kemina gathered her strength and stood, leading the child away.


	2. Chapter 2, A New Language

Aura woke feeling a strange discomfort. She sat up, rubbed the weariness from her eyes, and glanced around. _This is a forest_, her mind told her. She stood from her spot, noticing the imprint she had left in the grass where she had been resting. _Was I resting?_

She was small with orange-tinged blonde hair. It was a unique color, just like her honey-golden eyes. As she moved, she saw the dirt stains on her dress from the corner of her eyes. _What happened? Did I fall?_ The little form left the clearing and walked past tree after tree, not really giving any one her attention. _Where am I going?_ She found herself wondering.

Before long she heard rustling around her. "Who is there?" She asked in her beautiful, enchanting voice.

A large creature with four hooves, a stringy tail, and a pale body moved out from behind a thick tree. He spoke but she didn't understand his language.

"What are you?" She asked it, but it gave her a look of confusion. His face was like hers but with more color. She realized now that he was not pale, but very…_tan_.

He grunted and turned, galloping away from her.

"Wait!" She cried, afraid to be left alone. He had been the first living thing she saw since she awoke. Aura hopelessly chased after him but soon lost sight of him, and before long couldn't even hear his hooves clambering against the dirt and leaves on the forest's ground.

She slumped against a tree and put a hand to her head, it was hurting. _A headache? Why am I here?_ Tears fell down her cheeks as she felt anger pulse through her. She had no answer to her question, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized how little she did know.

The little girl sat down, letting her back rest against the tree as she closed her eyes and tried to remember. Nothing came to her. _Anything…_ She willed memories of any kind but nothing came to her. Her mind was completely blank. The mind that had supplied answers for her earlier could give her no memory.

She did all she could, she cried. She sat against the tree and sobbed, letting the hot and sticky tears slide down her cheeks endlessly.

A roaring noise was heard and she looked up, her sight blurred from her tears. "S-someone there?" She asked.

She was answered by another loud noise but she didn't recognize the language. It was choppy and unfamiliar, but a little like the other creature's. The tan, hooved creature spoke with the same language.

Aura wiped her face and cheeks and stood, bracing herself for if she had to run away. Even so, her curiosity kept her glued to the spot, waiting for the owner of the loud voice.

A burly, gigantic man with a thick black beard and brown coat appeared off in the distance, a large hound of some kind walking alongside him. He stopped some feet away from the girl and spoke in his unfamiliar language again.

Although his appearance was looming and scary, his expression was friendly and welcoming. She took a step toward him, wondering if he would understand her, unlike the tan beast.

"Can you help me?" She asked in the calmest voice she could muster.

His face scrunched up in confusion, just as Aura had feared.

He asked her something, she could tell by his questioning tone, but she didn't understand. The small girl shook her head, saying "I don't understand."

The giant man seemed to be in thought, he put a large hand to his chin and stroked his beard before turning away around and taking a step away from the girl.

"WAIT!" She called, afraid that he would leave her like the other one. He looked back and beckoned her, waving his enormous hand in a gesture that meant for her to follow.

She wondered if maybe he would harm her, but instinct told her that a man with such a kind smile wouldn't do such a thing. She treaded along behind him, following his large foot prints as they imprinted into the wet dirt. He had led her to a moist part of the forest and she was wondering where they were going…

Before long, she could see an opening where the trees ceased and light flooded through. The giant man turned around again, making sure she was still pursuing him. He waved his arm unnecessarily and continued towards the light. She started to hesitate, but followed nonetheless.

As they emerged from the forest, the girl behind the giant, a hut came into view. Beyond it were hills and most shockingly, a castle! Aura made haste, moving her smaller, shorter legs so that she was right next to the giant. She pointed at the castle and looked up at him with a large smile. "Are we going there?" She asked.

She knew he didn't understand her, but he shook his head. He pointed at the hut, saying something in his own garbled language. She understood and felt a little sad, but still grateful at the same time. The hound whined at the door and the giant complied, he strode past the girl and opened the door to the hut so that the dog could enter.

The giant mumbled something after the dog and turned his attention back to the little girl. He held the door open still and gestured for her to go inside. She cautiously walked through the door and jumped when it slammed behind the giant.

He asked her something before smacking himself in the forehead, probably remembering that she didn't understand. Instead, he moved to the kitchen and filled a bucket-sized cup with water, setting it down on the table. He pointed to Aura, then to the chair, telling her to sit and have something to drink. She obeyed, but wasn't sure how she was going to drink from the over-sized cup.

He mumbled what seemed to be an apology, though she couldn't be sure. He returned with a cup more befitting of the small six-year-old and took away the bucket-sized one. She drank down the water quickly, surprised at her thirst.

The giant soon set plates of food on the table and sat across from her. She picked up a piece of the food and bit into it, but it was so hard that it hurt her teeth. She pulled it away from her mouth and dropped it back onto the plate, staring at it blankly.

The giant patted the table, asking for her attention. Once the girl looked at him, he pointed to himself, said a single word in his language, then to his dog and did the same thing, only the word was different. He repeated this a few times and slowly Aura caught on.

"Ha-grid?" She asked, pointing to the giant. He nodded and smiled cheerfully. "Fang?" She asked again, pointing to the dog. He seemed to grow excited. He pointed at her and gave her a questioning look.

"Aura," She said, pointing to herself. He smiled to show that he understood. She returned his smile.

Hagrid stood and moved the dishes off the table. Aura sat a while longer before, studying the various objects around his tiny house. She heard a thumping noise and turned to see that Hagrid was tapping his foot impatiently and staring out the window as if he were expecting someone.

He turned to her and smiled, saying something she didn't understand. He smacked his head and was about to say something else when a silvery, bright bear appeared between her and the giant. She gasped and looked to Hagrid to see if she needed to be worried. He seemed happy.

The animal spoke and Hagrid spoke back to it and after a few minutes, the bear disappeared and a there was a knock at the door.

A more normal-sized man entered the door. He had messy black hair and was sporting glasses. A woman followed him, she was pretty with blazing red hair.

The newcomers chatted with Hagrid for a while and Aura pulled her knees up onto the chair, not sure how to feel. As if just remembering, Hagrid walked over to her and patted her head. He pointed to the woman and said "Ginny."

"Ginny," Aura repeated. He nodded in approval.

"Harry," He said, pointing to the messy-haired man.

She nodded, "Harry."

Hagrid pointed to the small girl, then to the couple. She didn't understand. He picked her up out of the chair and set her down next to Harry, who held his hand out to her.

"Hagrid?" She asked, looking to him to see if it was okay. He nodded, a supportive smile on his face.

She turned back to the man and put her small hand into his normal-sized one and allowed the woman to take her other one. They lead her out of the hut and towards what would be her new home for the next few months, but she didn't know it yet.


	3. Chapter 3, The Good and the Bad

Life at the Potters' was wonderful, young Aura had a true family that taught her how to get along in the wizard world. The first few weeks were hard, learning the new faces and fretting over memories that she didn't seem to have put an edge on things. But before long she began to feel in place.

The first night had been especially hard on the young girl. The awkwardness of being put into a new environment made everyone strain to make her comfortable which resulted in her discomfort.

Harry and Ginny brought her home and showed her to the guest room which would be hers. They got her settled and before long, Ginny was in the kitchen and delicious smells wafted through the house. Aura couldn't help it, her stomach rumbled. She peeked into the kitchen to find Ginny humming pleasantly as she stirred a pot on the stove.

"Hungry," She said softly in her elven tongue as she crept farther into the kitchen, although she stopped behind the cheery woman.

Ginny hadn't noticed and continued to cook. When she needed something from the fridge, she lifted her wand absently, using the _Accio_ spell. The little girl had to jump out of the way of a flying milk carton.

"Oh dear!" Ginny turned, now noticing Aura. "I didn't realize you were there, I'm sorry. Are you hungry?"

Aura didn't understand and Ginny smiled, probably realizing this. She picked up the little girl and set her on the counter next to the vegetables she was about to cut. She talked cheerfully about something the little girl couldn't comprehend, but even so the girl smiled and listened to the tones she used.

She picked up a whole carrot and took a bite out of it when she thought the red-head wasn't looking. Ginny smiled at her and giggled, saying a word she didn't get. She pointed to the carrot in Aura's hand and said it again. Aura repeated.

"Carrot."

"Yes!" Ginny replied enthusiastically. Her happiness caused the little girl to smile and eat her vegetable with a new excited vigor.

Dinner was ready and Ginny set the table, seating the tiny girl at the table first. Once everyone was in, she sat too and brought the dishes over using her wand. The family talked animatedly and the little girl listened.

"Albus dear, please put a serving of chicken onto Aura's plate," Ginny spoke to her son with a voice that was stern but loving.

Albus poked a fork into a piece of chicken and set it onto Aura's plate.

"Unn...wa...WAHH!" The little girl burst into tears, pushing away the plate with disgust.

Ginny hurried to remove the plate from her and waited for the tears to stop before saying anything.

 "Do you want something else?" She asked her and for some reason, she seemed to understand.

"Carrot..."

As time went on, things settled down. Ginny never served things that had once breathed to the little girl and instead made her lots of dishes with carrots in them. She grew more and more language and could speak choppy sentences within less than a month. After two months she had better language than most other six-year-olds.

Aura grew to call the Potters her family and the guest room became her permanent room. She was a beautiful child with a bright mind. Her magic flourished as time passed and before long she could do things that were extraordinary. But as all good things must come to an end, the ministry stepped in.

"She is potentially dangerous and must be taken away immediately," Barkly from the Department of Mysteries was accompanied by the minister himself.

"She is not dangerous, she's just a child!" Harry stepped in front of Aura, blocking her from the Ministry people's view. They didn't like this move.

"We do not wish to use force, but we will if we must."

Harry and Ginny both fought for her but in the end could do nothing. The ministry took away the crying seven-and-a-half-year-old Aura who would be subjected to a cruel life of eyes that never stopped watching her.


	4. Chapter 4, A Given Hope

Jak Armend Lorence was a man of many wisdoms and accomplishments. His biggest accomplishment was being named Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the age of 29. Being the youngest Headmaster in history, many either idolized him or sought to ruin him, saying that he was too young for such a high position. Even so, he did his job with a head held high and an air of confidence.

He walked down the winding halls of the ministry, his destination the Department of Racial Inspection. He stopped at a door at the end of the hall and hesitated a moment before shoving the door in and making a bold appearance into the empty room. Only one woman watched his brash behavior and she grimaced as he approached her.

"I feel no need to explain myself when you already have the knowledge of why I'm here."

The woman didn't seem to take this statement very well; she pointed her want at a quill that drilled information onto a pad of parchment before it folded itself up into a paper airplane and flew off into the back room.

Jak sighed and took a seat in one of the uncomfortable looking chairs along the wall. He waited nearly thirty minutes before the thud of footsteps was heard and a man emerged from the back, looking rather wired.

"Mister Lorence you know very well that we will not let her go to your school. She is under our observation and the results we are getting are not pleasing. What makes you think we're going to release a potentially dangerous being? And let her walk amongst other children, might I add?" The wired man had thin yellow hair that hung over his shoulders.

"Firstly, I do not approve of your keeping her here and using her as a lab rat…but if you are not getting results in this environment, what's stopping you from letting her learn and experience at Hogwarts? She'd be under my observation, of course. I doubt that I could not handle a single child."

The man flushed his face, but nodded. "I see your point, Jak. I shall speak with the head of the department but…I cannot assure anything."

Jak nodded and sat back in his chair, getting comfortable as he waited. He knew that it would be a long and complicated process and was prepared to wait it out.

Hours later, the girl in question's future education had been decided and worked out through tons of paperwork. The headmaster signed his name at the bottom of a page and stood, his chair screeching along the tiled floor of the head of the department's office.

Jak pulled an envelope out of his robes and gave the ministry worker's an inquisitive look. "I want to deliver this myself; may I go see the child?"

The men looked uncomfortable, but the headmaster seemed to be an agreeable man and before long he was walking even further into the department.

The premises in which the girl was being kept were highly guarded; Jak could feel the cold sting of dementors as he neared the end of the latest hallway. The stout man that was accompanying him produced a patronus charm that sent the dementors into a corner so that they could safely enter the room containing the girl.

Jak found himself in a tiny, dreary room with tiled floors, a single bed, and a small radio that sat on an unsteady-looking side table. Sitting on the bed was a beautiful young girl, almost prettier than any veela he had ever seen. She had orange-tinged hair that fell well past her waist and she had an exotic look to her that set her apart from any normal wizard. She looked tired and empty, possibly too thin although it was hard to tell if maybe that was just the way she was built.

"Hello Aura," Jak gave her a warm smile and sat himself down next to her on the small twin-sized bed. She blinked in response, but said nothing.

"Would you like to get out of here?"

She seemed more interested now. Aura nodded slowly, her unusual hair falling past her shoulders smoothly.

"I am here to personally invite you to my school where you will learn to master your magic using a wand. It is a much warmer place there than here," He added the last part as he rubbed his arms, the room was awfully cold.

"Is this another test?" Her voice was honey-smooth and dangerously cold.

"I'm happy to say that it is not," Jak handed her the envelope; "You are welcome at Hogwarts."

She still didn't seem excited; her gaze was tired as she proceeded to open the letter. It wasn't until she had read it twice through that a smile crept onto her face, making her breathtakingly beautiful.

"When can I go?" Anxiousness seeped out of her.

"School starts in two weeks, and assuming that you are planning to attend, you will need to get the items on that list and board the Hogwarts Express from platform nine and three quarters on the date specified."

"Thank you!" Aura threw her arms around the headmaster as tears of joy slid down her blemish-free cheeks.

Jak smiled and regretted leaving her behind, anxious that the school year would start so that he could ensure her happiness.


	5. Chapter 5 Hogwarts Express

She entered the crowded station accompanied by Melanie Rodyle, another ministry worker. Melanie tried to play 'friend' to Aura, but the young girl was smart enough not to buy the act.

There were a few gasps from muggles, especially men, as the beautiful elven witch walked towards her destination. She wheeled her cart as best as she could with Melanie's arm linked through hers as if they were great friends. Her cart only held a small trunk filled with new robes and a few clothes that would last her possibly a week. It also held her books, a cauldron, and the rest of the items that had been on her list. The only thing that it didn't carry was a screeching owl, a caged cat, a throaty frog, or a jittery rat as most of the other students had. She couldn't help the pang of jealousy that hit her.

Aura's eyes widened as she watched a family of wizards walk straight into the brick wall that held the sign "Platform 9 ¾." She understood that that was the way in; she was a fast learner and a very good observer.

"I can get there on my own, I don't need any help." Her cold words sounded beautiful when she spoke them, her accent thick and bewitching.

"What kind of person would I be if I made you go through this all on your own?" Rodyle smiled, Aura saw through it. She didn't say these things out of care or courtesy, but out of orders. The ministry was strict about seeing her to the train; afraid she would bolt and disappear.

Just as Aura went to argue she saw a flash of red and black. Her mind returned to what she had just seen: The Potters, the whole family, filing through the barrier. One after another, the family of five dissolved into the red bricks.

"…or you'll be late!" Melanie had been blabbering and Aura tuned in to the last part.

"Let's go!" Aura practically dragged the ministry worker as she ran after what could have been her family had the ministry not interjected.

She was caught up in the excitement that lingered in the air along with a thick cloud of smoke from the train. Kids, first years to seventh years, were saying last minute goodbyes to their families before boarding the train and finding a compartment in which they proceeded to wave from the windows. For a moment she had forgotten about the Potters and had somehow lost sight of them.

She pulled her arm away from Melanie and glared at her before running off through the crowds. She heard shouts from behind her; Melanie probably thought she was making a break for it. _Not my smartest move_, she thought as she searched through the families. The crowd started to let up as the train whistled, warning stragglers to get on board.

"HARRY POTTER?!" Aura cried in an attempt to find him. The whole platform seemed to quiet and still. A messy-haired man in glasses turned around at the sound of his name.

She felt hot tears sting her cheeks as she ran to him and threw her arms around him. Although she hadn't stayed with the Potters long, they were the closest thing to a family she had ever had. At least the closest memory of one.

Harry seemed unsure, not recognizing the foreign looking girl that was sobbing into his midsection though he had a slight guess. She was short, shorter than most other eleven-year-olds.

"Err…can I help you?"

She pulled away and stared at him in disbelief. How could he, her almost-father, not remember her? "Aura," She whispered and realization struck him. The train gave another warning whistle as people bustled along once again and the noise of the crowd carried.

"You're – You're alright?! How've you been? I haven't seen you in five years! You were so young; we fought to keep you but…"

She pulled away and gave him a distant smile, the smile that had replaced her true happiness for the past five years. "I know you tried, I believe you. I just wish things were different." With that she turned round, waved at Melanie, and boarded the train leaving Harry with his mouth gaping wide open.

She found an empty compartment and sat away from the window, not wanting to look out at the crowded and smoky platform as the train departed the station. She wanted above everything else to cry but instead she held in the tears and changed into her school robes, anxious to see what awaited her at Hogwarts.

She was awoken when she heard the click of the compartment door shutting behind an intruder. Her eyes flew open, almost afraid that she would see the masked lady who gave her the 'tests.' Relief filled her as she saw a young looking girl give a faint smile as she sat down on the seat across from Aura. She had fair hair and pale skin with bright green eyes that were calm and relaxed.

"I'm Raven, Raven Malfoy. Who are you?" She seemed arrogant, but even so something about her struck Aura.

"Aura. Just…Aura."

"Alright, 'Just Aura', I s'pose you're a first year? You'll be my friend, won't you? Pretty girls have to stick together, after all." Though Raven was beautiful, she was no comparison to Aura. Her arrogance though kept her blind to that fact.

"Okay," She studied the serpent emblem on Raven's robes and wondered what it was for. She had seen a few other's wearing robes with this symbol as well as other symbols. "What does that emblem mean?" She pointed to the serpent.

"This? It represents the house that I'm in. Hopefully you'll be in Slytherin, too! Every Malfoy has been in the house of Slytherin. Well, everyone 'cept my brother, see. Though my dad won't say it, he's disappointed in Celsus."

Aura only half listened. She was only really interested in the houses that were mentioned. "How many houses are there? What are the names of them?"

"There are four. Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor. Each house represents something. Gryffindor values courage, daring, nerve and chivalry above all else. Its mascot is the lion, and its colors are scarlet and gold. Hufflepuff values hard work, loyalty, tolerance, and fair play above all else. The house mascot is the badger; canary yellow and black are its colors. Ravenclaw values intelligence, creativity, wit, and wisdom. The house colors are blue and bronze and it's mascot is the eagle. Slytherin house values ambition, cunning, resourcefulness, and pure blood heritage. It's colors are green and silver and it's mascot is the serpent, like you see here," She finished her long explanation by pointing at her chest with the Slytherin emblem displayed proudly on it.

Aura payed attention to her description and found herself very curious about Hogwarts and the way it was run. She didn't bother to smile or nod or give any implication that she was even listening, instead she peered out the window for the first time to see that a great castle was coming up fast.

"That is Hogwarts?"

Raven seemed a little upset at Aura's coldness and was reluctant to answer, but finally said 'yes' before staring out the window too.

Aura let her lips curl into a soft smile as she kept her golden gaze on the castle ahead. She felt an odd sensation but didn't know how to describe it. _Hope?_ Her mind often supplemented words for her. Hope didn't seem right, but fit the best. She sat up and stretched, not relinquishing her gaze as she got ready to leave the train and trample into a new world full of magic she had never tried before.


	6. Chapter 6 Settling

"Firs' years! Come wi' me, firs' years!"

Aura clambered off the train followed by the fair-haired Raven who was chattering, already forgetting the anger she had felt towards Aura.

"You're a first year so you ride the boats. Guess I'll see you inside! You'd better be in Slytherin!" Raven waved and ran off to meet a group of friends.

"Firs' years!"

She stopped mid-stride, blocking the path for a few students who pushed past her. The deep, friendly voice that bellowed over the bursts of students was one that she could never forget.

"Hagrid?" Aura walked past the cowering first years and stared up at the giant.

"You mus' be…but you can't be…The li'l girl from the forest?" He smiled a rosy smile and gave the frail girl a spine-cracking hug before she could answer.

"I heard you was taken by the ministry…?" She heard the question in his voice before he gave another smile, "Jak musta pulled some cards. I'll have to thank 'im!" He had to bed slightly to pat Aura's shoulder. "Well I bes' be getting' on wi' me job, it is my last year after all."

He stepped around Aura and looked at all the frightened first years. "There's nothin' ter be afraid of. Now, le's get to the boats, otherwise we'll be late an' Lorence will have to give me a talkin' to, he will…"

Hagrid chatted cheerfully with nobody in particular as he led the group to the lake where the boats sat waiting for them.

She sat in one of the enchanted boats, paying no attention to anything but the castle that loomed before her. Now that she had seen Hagrid, she recognized the castle. The day that she was found, the first day she remembered of her existence, she had a glimpse of Hogwarts. Back then she had wanted to explore it, but never expected to be living at it. A new excitement filled her.

The first years filed into the entrance, crowding into one general area as if they were afraid to get lost or left behind. Something cackled from the ceiling.

"New firsties for Peevsey to pick on!" Peeves the poltergeist cackled again and swooped over the startled eleven year olds, dropping dirt into a poor girl's hair.

"Don't make me call the Baron!" A scowling middle-aged witch stood at the top of a staircase, her arms folded over her chest.

Peeves scowled back and copied her stance in midair. "Spitty is no fun, Peevsey never gets fun anymore!" He blew a raspberry at her and disappeared.

The witch turned her attention to the frightened children, a warm smile replacing her scowl. "Welcome to Hogwarts, we will begin momentarily. When you are called, you will proceed to the front and the sorting hat will place you into a house. Once you are sorted, you will sit with your house. Now that everything's clear, I'm going to check if they are ready for you…"

As soon as the witch disappeared behind the grand doors that led to the Great Hall, whispers of excitement and a few complaints about the poltergeist were heard. The children barely had time to gossip before the witch returned, an air of authority about her. She motioned for the eleven-year-olds to follow her into the Great hall.

Aura didn't know what to make of it. The ceiling was bewitched and looked like the sky. There were four grand tables with banners hung over them, each with a different house emblem. Ahead was a single stool with a battered old hat on it. The hat startled everyone by singing:

"_I am no ordinary hat, you see_

_I have knowledge beyond compare_

_And should you seek a little guidance_

_I will be there_

_My stitches may not be pretty,_

_I may look old and worn,_

_But as the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_I know how to Sort._

_Place me on top of your head_

_And a little peek I will have,_

_To find out if your courageous enough_

_To handle Gryffindor_

_Or if you have the wit_

_Befitting of Ravenclaw_

_Or if you are tolerate enough_

_To be placed in Hufflepuff_

_Or if you belong in Slytherin_

_A house of true ambition_

_And if you wonder just how it is_

_I get inside your head,_

_Place your mind on a different track_

_Your curiosity will not be fed!"_

After the sorting hat's song, names were called and the process began.

"Missy Brown."

"_Hufflepuff!"_

"Leon Parkinson."

_"Slytherin!"_

And name by name, students were sorted and tables were filled. Aura gave the ceremony half of her attention as she surveyed the room. Her eyes fell upon Slytherin table where Raven sat next to a fair-haired boy that was unmistakably a sibling. She briefly remembered her 'friend' talking about a brother who let down the family by not making it into Slytherin. _That can't be him._

"Aura – err, Aura."

She glanced up at her name and found her feet already moving her towards the stool. Silence fell on the room and she felt every eye on her. Even though she was used to being stared at, she didn't like it.

Sitting on the stool, Aura allowed the hat to be placed on her head. The hat's voice appeared in her head and made her jump slightly.

"_Interesting mind, interesting mind indeed…you have immeasurable intelligence, child."_

By the looks on everyone's faces, Aura knew only she could hear the sorting hat.

_Ravenclaw values intelligence and wit,_ She recalled Raven telling her.

"_Right you are, my girl. Very well;_ RAVENCLAW!"

Cheers from Ravenclaw table echoed round the room. Aura stood, making her way to the table. She scanned the table for open spaces, and since she didn't really want to talk with anyone, she sat down beside a blonde boy who had his head in his arms and was snoring lightly. Since it was nearer to the end of the table, there was plenty of open space and not a lot of people to talk to, making the small girl feel more comfortable. A few Ravenclaws flashed her a smile but didn't talk to her, to her relief.

After the sorting finished, a friendly voice filled the room in which she recognized to belong to Headmaster Lorence. He briefed through a few rules and introduced the teachers. She now recognized the witch from the hall as Professor Spitzor, her transfiguration teacher and also the head of Gryffindor. Next to Spitzor was Proffessor Cronus, a young twenty-something teacher that would surely catch the eyes of his female students. He was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Head of Ravenclaw. Lorence introduced the other Head of Houses, Professor Knight who was Head of Slytherin and Professor Fauna who was Head of Hufflepuff. After introductions, the headmaster finally started to bring his speech to a close.

"I hope you will enjoy the feast prepared."

Food appeared in the blink of an eye and students talked animatedly about their summers and other things that Aura didn't care to listen in on. She held back the gagging sensation that swept over her at the sight of food. Thanks to the ministry's last experiment, she puked nearly every time she saw food. Pushing her plate off to the side, she decided to follow the example of the boy next to her and rested her head on the table. Before long, she too had fallen asleep.

"Wha-?" She felt a cold hand shake her gently and had to blink her eyes open. The houses were leaving to dormitories and she would be left behind if she didn't hurry. Aura climbed out of her seat and saw a blonde-haired boy walking several feet ahead of her. Since everybody else seemed to already 

have filed out of the place, she figured that he was the one who had woken her. She smiled and walked after him, content with being a few feet behind him and everyone else.

Sleep came easy to her that night as she settled into her four-poster bed. It was hard to sleep at the ministry where at any moment she would be attacked by some wild creature as a test. Here at Hogwarts, Aura was already beginning to feel at home…


	7. Chapter 7, The Elves

Down by the lake, Aura sat reading _Hogwarts, A history_ since she had no other books that would be more entertaining to read in her spare time. The ministry supplied her with what was required on the list, nothing less, nothing more. She turned a page when an argument sprung from somewhere behind her.

"That's why dad looks at you funny, 'cause you're so damn proud to have broken the Malfoy tradition!" The first voice screamed.

"I'm proud to be different, I like being independent, I shouldn't be punished for being my own self!" A second voice yelled, obviously male.

"Shut up! You just enjoy seeing father's hurt face, don't you?! He hates it that you boast about your difference!!" The first voice continued to argue and at this point Aura recognized it to belong to Raven Malfoy.

The small girl turned to see the bickering couple. They had identical faces and the same pale hair, the only difference was that one was male while the other was female. Both beautiful people, but very ugly at the moment while they argued and sneered at eachother.

"O-oh!" Raven seemed to have noticed Aura staring at them. "You've been there this whole time? Sneaky..." She payed no attention to the fact that Aura had been there first and continued, "Anyways we were heading to the kitchen to see if the elves would give us some food, we missed lunch. Wanna come?"

Aura merely nodded, she had never liked to talk much. At least, not since she was seven years old and living with the Potters.

Raven linked her arm through Aura's, just like Melanie had, and dragged her along as she played the role of 'friend.'

"Hey," What she assumed to be Raven's brother smiled at her as he walked a few feet apart from them.

"H-hello," Her accent carried, she didn't notice as always.

"Are you stupid?! Who gave you permission to talk to my friend? You think she's pretty don't you?" Raven smiled a wicked smile to her assumed brother, "Lay off, she doesn't want you."

"ME? You're the one who just assumes these things! You're just crazy! And it's your fault for not introducing us!" He scowled and crossed his arms.

Raven sighed and turned to the embarrassed Aura, "Sorry 'bout him. He's a dope. Anyways that's my twin brother Census, the one I told you about on the train? Such a disgrace."  


"Nice to meet you, i'm Aura," Aura half-smiled, talking politely although she hid her shyness.

Census smiled at her and at that moment, she knew he was remembering the feast and how he had been the one to wake her up so she wouldn't be left behind. She gave him an apologetic look and he laughed a bit loudly.

"What? What?" Raven looked from the two, knowing she had missed something unspoken. "I don't wanna know...come on, hurry up!"

Raven led them to the right of the main staircase in the entrance hall and followed the corridor down until a large painting of fruit appeared before them as a dead end.

"Where are we?" Aura asked, taking in all that she saw.

"Below the Great Hall," Raven said as she approached the painting and tickled the pair. It, to Aura's surprise, giggled and turned into a handle.

Census pushed his sister aside and threw open the door, letting himself in first. Aura followed Raven inside and looked to see at least a hundred or so elves cleaning, cooking, and preparing things. "What are they?"

"You're not very knowledgeable," Census grinned at her, "they're House Elves, they work for the school and make all the meals we eat." He walked over to an elf at the stove who's eyes were wide, "Could I have something to eat?"

The elf seemed to ignore him. He stared at Aura, his mouth open in a shocked 'o' shape.

"You're...You've come back..." He fell to the floor with a cry and bowed his head low so that his forehead was against the ground.

The rest of the elves in the kitchen followed his example, all of them having the same expressions on their face as the first elf.

"Ah...what do you mean?" Aura blushed, not sure what to make of the odd creatures before her, bowed on the ground as if worshiping her.

"Lady Elf, please...we had no choice, the wizards made us!"

"What's going on?" Raven backed away from Aura, further into the kitchen while her brother stood still, confused.

"DON'T TREAT HER LIKE SPIT, STUPID WIZARD!" A jittery elf looked up from her bowed position and screamed at Raven.

"HEY!" The Malfoy girl looked angry.

"What's going on?" Aura looked at the elves, tears stinging her eyes. She didn't like this situation, it reminded her of the ministry operations...

"Please, please forgive us..."

"Okay but-"

"Please!"

"OKAY!" She cried out, clutching her side out of habit. "P-Please! Tell me what's going on!"

The elves looked up at her stupidly, not sure what she meant.

"You've come back to us, haven't you?"

She didn't understand, they could tell from her expression. A few elves sat up, unsure about what was going on.

"Y-you're kind...We recognize your power...How can you not understand?"

Aura's eyes widened, _they know what I am!_ "You know what I am? If you know this information, please share!" At this point she was ravenous for the imformation, she ran forward to the elf that had spoken last, her eyes pleading him to tell her.

"T-The wizards forgot you, your magic is quite extraordinary. You were the strongest magical beings until you fled and went into hiding, taking all evidence of your existence away. But you forgot us, you left us behind, we were your most loyal servants, we were your distant cousins...But you didn't realize, you forgot that your magic is much like ours and the least we could do was keep our memories in order, unlike the wizards. The least we could do was keep you alive through our memories...Wood Elves disappeared thousands of years ago but you were still remembered. How could you not know what you are, child? And I don't remember the Elven people being so _small_. Not that...please don't hurt me!" He whacked his head hard on the ground and sobbed.

"I am happy to be recognized, but I'm also sorry to say that I am not pure Wood Elf. I don't know anything about my origin, but I am certain that I am half wizard. Please don't hurt yourself for my sake," She smiled softly and patted the little House Elf's head. At her touch, he stopped banging his head on the floor.  


"What are your orders?" He asked as he sat up, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Everyone please go back to what they were doing and treat me no different than the other students here at Hogwarts. And...Mind making my friends something to eat?"

He nodded and stood up and the other elves followed suit.

Census broke into laughter, gaining a glare from a sniffling elf. "What a riot! So that's what you are, hm? Must be relieved to know something about yourself. I mean, other than you're half a wizard."

She looked at him with watery eyes. He didn't know just how true his words were, she was happy that she had discovered something about herself. It was something to make up for all those lost memories. She didn't know it then, but Census would become one of her dearest friends. More so than Raven, anyways.

Raven seemed to calm now, acting as if she'd never been afraid of Aura. "At least they listen to you better than they listen to me," She smiled as she ate took a bite out of a pastry.

The three left the kitchen, their hands stuffed with goodies that the elves had given them. Aura had the most treats, her arms were so full that Raven could no longer link her arm with the Elf girl's.

"Too bad you didn't make it to Slytherin, then we could sneak down to the kitchen all the time and bring food to all the girls while we talk about important matters!"

"Important matters?" Census snickered but Aura continued to look at her questioningly. Raven didn't seem the type to debate important issues.

"Like who's the hottest teacher, the cutest quidditch team player, stuff like that. Doesn't matter though, you're in a different house." Raven frowned. Census was still snickering about his sister's idea of 'important.'

"I'm sorry," She said, though she wasn't really.

"Oh! I forgot that you're in Ravenclaw, just like Census! I feel bad for you, you'll have to put up with him. He's so obnoxious."

The three left the castle to take in some outside air before the sun lowered and they had to take to their houses. Aura listened in on their bickering and only said anything when she wanted to ask a question. The twins argued and threw nasty insults at eachother, even after they settled down next to the lake. _They seem close._


	8. Chapter 8, Advanced Magic

Within a month at Hogwarts, Aura had fallen into the rhythm of things. Classes were all too easy for her and she found that she had a lot of spare time on her hands. Her favorite spot was by the lake, though the Forbidden Forest seemed to be calling to her…

One warm Tuesday afternoon she couldn't help but pine for the fresh outside air. She loved the feel of the sun on her skin, of the wind brushing through her hair. She even loved it when the seasons changed and times got colder. With a sigh she dragged herself to her third class of the day, Defense Against the Dark Arts. She didn't much care for the subject, Transfiguration was a favorite of hers so far, but she did like the teacher.

"Good afternoon, Aura, are you well?" Professor Cronus gave her a big, contagious smile and hopped onto his desk, though his feet didn't dangle because he was so tall.

"Yes, thank you."

"I had a matter to discuss with you if you don't mind staying after class a while? It seems your classmates are getting in and I'll have to start this lesson soon!" She nodded and he greeted the rest of the students who entered the room.

"Have a seat, have a seat everyone! No, no, textbooks are not allowed in my class! Today we shall take a few notes and then have some fun!" His cheeriness and enthusiasm along with his good looks made him the number one sought-after guy in Hogwarts even though he was a teacher. He had long white hair that was tied back with a rubber band. He wore his robes unusually long so that they were only an inch or so off the ground, it looked much like a trench coat.

The lesson began and Aura took down the notes, which were short and to the point as always. He spoke about a recent past when Lord Voldemort had ruled, leaving many in the wizarding world in fear. Those with tainted blood were sought-after and killed. Muggle-borns weren't safe during that time and thanks to Harry Potter and his rebellion, _Harry Potter?_, things had returned to normal.

"Excuse me, sir?" She went to raise her hand but remembered this was against his own personal rules. He didn't seem to like structure.

"Yes, my dear girl?" He smiled a charming smile. The female students swooned.

"Did you say 'Harry Potter'?" She was surprised that such a normal, laid-back man that had once taken care of her had been the one to restore order to the wizard world.

"Yes, also known as _The Boy Who Lived,_" Cronus briefed her on the history of Harry Potter and all his accomplishments and left her in shock. She also felt a little proud, even if he wasn't her father…

Professor Cronus finished his speech and looked at the clock, surprised to find it was time for everyone to pack up. "That ends today's lesson, then. Sorry we didn't get to the fun part," There were mutters of 'okay' and 'it's alright' as students left the room.

Aura lingered and waited for everyone to disappear from the room before she walked over to the Professor's desk. He was turned around, giving instructions to a pen that immediately set off to work on the whiteboard.

"Oh, good, you remembered!" The warm-smiled man sat cross-legged in his chair.

"You needed to talk about something?"

He must of taken her expression to be fear. "You aren't in trouble, don't worry! Anyways I noticed that you seem to be very advanced with your magic. I overheard other teachers talking about you, too. You seem to be very bright," With this he aimed a smile at her.

She blushed and looked away from him, feeling awkward. He just continued.

"Anyways I think you master things so quickly that you could easily jump to third year work at this point in time."

"R-Really?" She liked that idea. Her only friends were third-years and she rarely saw them because they were in different classes and on different schedules.

"Yup! Just gotta talk to Headmaster Lorence about it but I think he'll okay it. Starting next semester you'll be switching into more advanced classes that will hopefully give you a challenge as opposed to your current classes. I wanted to okay it with you and see if you really wanted this before taking it up with the big man himself."

"I would really like that," Her fair skin turned a shade of red; she didn't usually voice her wants. She had been taught not to.

"Well I have some books, I want you to practice the spells in these to prepare you for what's to come. I have confidence you can master them just as quickly as any other spell you've learned so far."

"Thanks!" Aura took the new reading material, excitement flowing through her.

Looking at the clock, she realized it was lunch hour. "Was that all?"

"Yup, I'll be having a chat with the Headmaster soon. Have a good lunch!" He turned around to yell at the pen for apparently making a mistake. He muttered something about how stupid enchanted pens were and that he had to everything himself.

She gave a smile as she left the classroom, a new spring to her step as she went to meet up with Census. He would probably laugh at her for being smart, but then again, he laughed at anything and everything. That's why she liked him so much, he could easily do what she couldn't.

With her new books in her hands, she made it to Ravenclaw tower where, sure enough, Census was waiting for her. They left their stuff behind and went to lunch, the fair-haired boy laughing at an embarrassed Aura.


	9. Chapter 9, Little Time

Headmaster Lorence had been making a few rounds when he found Professor Cronus lurking outside of his office.

"Kajora, are you well?" His dark brown hair, which was usually down to his shoulders, had been cut short. His new haircut looked good on him; he was a handsome wizard with a kind face.

"Oh, yes! I have something to speak with you about."

"Let me guess, you want to talk about the elven girl?"

"Elven? Well assuming you mean Aura, yes."

"Come into my office," Lorence mumbled 'parsnip' to the gargoyle and the spiral staircase appeared behind it.

Kajora Cronus followed the headmaster into his office, quiet until the door shut behind them. "She's very intelligent, one of my favorites! I mean…I know we shouldn't have favorites…Uh…" He smiled sheepishly and didn't talk again until Lorence returned his smile.

"Anyways she can perform every spell ever mentioned in her textbooks and, from what I've observed; it only takes her a try or two."

"I believe it is the two magics within her that make her so powerful. But, unlike the ministry, I do not believe she is potentially dangerous. Her magic isn't out of control, she's very strong mentally as well," He smiled as he talked about her, something about the exotic girl sparked a fatherly sense in him. He felt proud of her as each day passed and she grew and learned.

"Uh, yeah, so because of her intellect, I think she needs more of a challenge. I was hoping to place her in my third-year class?"

Lorence smiled, "Other teachers have wanted to move her up as well. I think, from what I hear, that she is capable of handling a higher class. I'll arrange it with the teachers, then."

"Great! I'm so excited, finally I'll have a peer model! Those third-years are just at the age of rebellion. I can't complain, though, I was worse than all of them!" He laughed, holding his stomach as he did.

The headmaster smiled at the good-natured teacher, he had a strong liking for him. He was odd and didn't always follow the rules as he should, but his students excelled and made excellent progress and he had an air of fun about him.

Aura sat on the floor in the Ravenclaw common room, reading through one of the books that Professor Cronus had given her. She held out her wand and performed a spell to make the fire flare up. It worked, nearly catching a picture frame on fire.

"S-sorry!" She cried to the woman in the picture who glared and stormed off through a door.

She quickly turned back to the book, committing it to memory. Most of the other Ravenclaws had already gone to sleep and only one other remained in the room with her.

"Ha ha! How long will you be at it? We should sneak down to the kitchen and have a snack." The blonde-haired boy grinned at her.

"Go by yourself, Census! I have studying to do."

"But the elves worship you, that's why you're the Elf Girl! If you're with me then I'm sure to score a lot more food!"

"Oh, I see, you don't want me to come with you for the mere purpose of my company," She said with a teasing smile. Through her time with Census and Raven, her two best friends, she had learned how to joke around and smile.

"Oh, you make me sound so cruel, Elf Girl. Come with me, please?" He slid to his knees beside her and clasped his hands together, "Don't make me beg!"

Aura giggled, her naturally rosy cheeks puffing up as she smiled. "Alright, alright. I'll come along, but we'd best hurry!"

"You gonna use that concealing spell again? Or got something new up your sleeve?"

The elf girl smiled and set her book aside as she stood up. Without moving her lips, without the slightest whisper, she disappeared from the room.

"_Wicked!_" Census clapped at her new trick.

After reappearing, she took Census' hand and tried again. As suspected, he disappeared from sight, too.

The two made it down the dark hallway, afraid to light their wands. As the giant picture of fruit loomed before them, so did two figures.

"Shh," Aura whispered to Census, whose hand she was still grasping. They walked closer to the two figures.

Aura smiled as she recognized one of them. Raven Malfoy, along with an older-looking girl with brown hair, seemed to have the same idea that they did.

"Sis!" the Malfoy boy let go of Aura's hand and hugged onto his twin, getting a loud 'eww, get off me!' reaction.

Aura willed herself visible and soon reappeared, "Hello," She said shyly.

Raven willingly gave the elven girl a hug and glared at her brother.

"Ah-_hum_! Ravey you forgot to introduce us!" The other girl crossed her arms and smiled. She was beautiful, just like Raven, with brown hair that was sleek and shiny. She had a scar on her left eyebrow that oddly didn't take away from her beauty.

"Oh, right, sorry. Guys this is Sephora Zabini, I met her in my Care of Magical Creatures class. Um, the orange-haired girl is my friend Aura and the _retard_ next to her is my brother."

Census rolled his eyes "Who cares if I'm stupid or not? I'm _hungry_. Let's get in the kitchen, already!"

Aura gave the new girl a shy smile and followed everyone into the kitchen where, just as expected, the house elves shoved parcel after parcel of food into her arms as well as everyone else's.

"Friends of Aura are friends of ours!" Maisy, one of Aura's favorite house elves, chirped.

The group left the kitchen and split ways, muttering goodbyes. Raven and Sephora left to Slytherin while Census and Aura concealed themselves once again with Aura's odd magic, making it back to Ravenclaw.

Census stuffed his mouth while he continued to question Aura.

"Wry you go' stu'y so ush," He spoke gibberish due to the pumpkin bread that he stuffed in his mouth.

"I'm studying so much so that I can be in your class starting next term."

"WHA?!"

"Oh, that's right, I haven't told you guys yet. Professor Cronus is going to talk to the headmaster to see if I can switch classes. I have to make up for the year's worth of work by studying and learning the spells."

Census swallowed his mouthful and grinned. "Sounds great, I'll be able to copy your answers!"

Aura sighed and went back to her book, a ghost of a smile on her face. She was working hard so that she could be with her friends, it didn't really matter to her whether or not the work was challenging. What was most important to her was taking the little time she had left and making something of it. Soon everyone would go home for Winter Break and she would have to return to the ministry. She feared that they would perform more tests than ever…


	10. Chapter 10, No Hope

As the air grew colder and snow formed on the ground, Aura began to fret. Something in the back of her mind was warning her, and she dreaded what was to come.

"You okay, Elf Girl?" Census waved his hand in Aura's face, wondering what she was staring at.

"Huh?" Her golden eyes averted from their fixed spot and refocused onto the blonde boy. "Oh, I'm fine, really."

"You wanna have lunch by the lake again?" The older brunette girl smiled, Aura had grown used to her presence.

"Mm I feel like sitting inside today, it's really cold." She wanted an excuse for distraction, what better than a crowded Great Hall?

"Then me and Sephora will go and sit with Scorpius at the Slytherin table. See you guys later!" Raven dragged Sephora along while leaving the others behind. Sephora turned back and gave an apologetic smile along with a small wave.

Aura, too distracted to notice their departure, continued to walk blindly forward.

"AH!" Census grabbed the elven girl's arm, pulling her sideways before she could run into a wall. "You're really out of it, are you sure you're okay?" His usual smile was replaced with concern.

"I'm fine, really, just tired." She lied, putting on a smile for him. She didn't know if he bought it, but he stopped questioning her.

They made it to the hall and, like she had hoped, the noise was an easy cover-up for spacing out. She was having an internal panic attack about the limited days she had left at Hogwarts, she had to refrain from doing anything extreme.

"Too bad you're only a first year, otherwise we could go to Hogsmeade."

Aura laid her head on her crossed arms which rested on the table. "Mm," She mumbled.

"Want to go to the Shrieking Shack? I've never been there before but I heard how to get in from one of the Potter boys."

At the mention of 'Potter' her eyes widened. She sat up, an idea forming in her head. "Not today, Census, I'm not feeling all that well…" She stood up quickly and gathered her things, running out of the Great Hall.

The next morning was Sunday and Aura awoke earlier than all the other Ravenclaw girls. She had not been able to find any Potters. The elven girl got up from bed and went down to the deserted common room where she began to study, hoping to divert her thoughts. Of course, she kept coming back to the Potters…the family that should have been hers. Harry, Ginny, Albus, Lily, and James Potter.

She knew that James was already finished with Hogwarts, but Albus and Lily should have been sixth and seventh years. So why couldn't she find them? They might have been out in Hogsmeade. Either way, she was getting anxious. There was only one day left until everyone left for Christmas and she had already received a letter from the ministry telling her to go back.

With a small shiver, she rubbed her arms and stared down at the book in her lap, unable to keep her thoughts on it.

Soon more and more people began to wake up and filter into the common room. Census being one of them, he went straight to Aura.

"Good morning," He said with a tired smile.

She didn't respond and it worried him.

"Hey, what's bothering you? You're acting strange," He frowned and shook her gently by the shoulder.

"I'm sorry," She frowned too, suddenly getting the urge to cry. She had pent up her fear of going back for so long that it was affecting her greatly. "I'm sorry," She repeated, this time letting the tears escape. It had been a long time since she cried, it felt weird.

Census put his arm around her, "Tell me what's going on, maybe I can help?"

"N-no, you can't help but…I don't want to go back. I'm scared to go back."

"Come live at my house then! It's pretty big…and my parents are annoying but we could hang out and go to quidditch matches together and have all sorts of fun!" He smiled, growing excited by his idea.

"If I don't go back, the punishment will be even worse than if I do go," She whispered now, laying her head against his shoulder. For some reason she didn't feel quite so scared anymore, her tears let up. Now she just felt stupid for crying to her best friend.

"Well I'll write to you, okay? I just send it to the ministry, right?"

She giggled, "Don't write anything stupid, 'kay? The Ministry will search it before giving it to me, if they give it to me at all."

He ruffled her hair and took back his arm before handing her a tissue. She wiped her eyes with the tissue and stood up, "I have one last hope."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Night came quickly and her plan would commence. She waited in the common room until everyone had gone to bed. As soon as the coast was clear, she used her silent spell to conceal herself and left the tower. She had heard that Gryffindor was on the seventh floor behind a painting of a fat lady.

Although it took nearly an hour for her to find it, she sighed in relief when she did but her relief didn't last long.

The small but invisible girl walked up to the picture, not sure what to do.

"May I enter?" She asked politely.

The lady awoke with a start, "Who's there? Who's there?"

"Ah," She willed herself visible and the lady settled down. "May I enter, please?" She tried again.

"I cannot let you in without a password."

"Umm…Snorglepuff?"

"Wrong."

She tried various words and the lady was growing fed up and so was she.

"Please, it is my last hope! I have to talk with Albus or Lily Potter!"

The lady didn't seem to care, she stuck her nose in the air and crossed her arms.

She glared at the lady and found herself yelling at her in, what she didn't realize at the time, Elvish.

The lady said nothing more, but the portrait swung open and revealed the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. A little shocked, she hesitantly entered.

Inside she found a boy staring at her from across the room.

"Who are you?" Minscent Belling crossed his arms, giving her a quizzical look.

"Umm I just want to talk to Albus or Lily Potter, could you get them for me? Please?"

"Why should I? What you need them for?"

"Because I believe they can help me. Please, I really need to talk to them!"

He eyed her for a moment before getting up and disappearing from the room. She waited, standing awkwardly in the middle of the common room.

Albus, who looked like his dad with his mother's eyes, came stumbling into the room. "What's going on?"

He was older than her by six years and he seemed a little grumpy, not liking that he was woken up in the middle of the night.

"Albus!" She smiled, the sight of the older boy reminded her of better days…

"Oh, Aura? I heard you were here! How've you been? Is something wrong?"

She almost felt like laughing, his reaction was much like his dad's. "I…I miss you guys, you know. I have to go back to the ministry, I may not even be coming back to Hogwarts depending on whether they see any improvement or not. But I'm scared to go back, I want to go back with you guys, I want to live with you again!"

He stared at her stupidly, not sure what to say.

"What can I do? We seriously fought the ministry on it but there's nothing else we can do."

Her eyes watered over, "You have no idea what it's like there," She whispered.

"I'm sorry…But I don't know what to do."

She frowned. _Of course. What had I expected?_ Turning around, she held back tears by clenching her fists and teeth. She had been so focused on just getting here that she hadn't realized that there really was nothing that he could do, that anyone could do really. It just felt like a small chance, it gave her a little bit of hope…

"Sorry I woke you," She said before disappearing. Tomorrow she would go quietly and pray that she would be able to make it back to Hogwarts.


	11. Chapter 11, The Hardest Test

It happened so fast, before she knew it she was back at the ministry via the floo network in Lorence's office.

"Welcome back!" Melanie was still trying, Aura didn't reply to her.

She was put into her room again, locked away inside the small and extremely cold room, locked away from most human contact. The dementors weren't really any use, the one thing the ministry learned was that dementors seemed to resist her and possibly fear her. She emanated her own light that scared them away. Instead, they were kept outside of her room for the purpose of keeping others from coming in and stealing her away. _Not that they would._ She couldn't help but be pessimistic now that she was back and Hogwarts seemed so surreal.

Within two hours of her being back, they came for her. Another test.

"Please cooperate this time, or so help me I will go off the deep end," The usual white labcoat doctor came in the room, his face and hair masked with the usual setup a doctor would wear when going into surgery. It was time for a checkup.

The first few times Aura refused to let them examine her, she was such a rebellious child. After so long she gave up and let them do whatever they wanted to her, but never revealed her true magic. She didn't really know if it was just because she wasn't trying or because it wasn't there, but she feared what they would do if she did end up having some strange power that set her apart from others.

As the small girl stood up, she pulled her dress over her head and shivered in her under things. He did a basic check-up before leaving the room. She knew the worst was yet to come, so she quickly threw on her clothes again. It was too cold to go around half-naked.

She waited by the door instinctively and they came to get her. She never knew which room it would be in, never knew exactly where she was because they blindfolded her every time. She didn't know any of the pathways, the ministry was too afraid that she would commit it to memory and devise an escape route.

She heard the creak of a heavy metal door and was shoved inside the room. The door banged behind her and she heard a familiar voice.

"You may take off the blindfold," The voice said. This was the usual routine; the voice always said the same things. She couldn't match the voice to a face, though. Maybe that's what they wanted, she never really knew.

She took it off and found herself in a simple room with a table. On the table there were four objects. First object was a small chest, second and third was a key, and the fourth was a wand. _My wand._

She walked to the table and instantly reached for the wand only to stop herself. This was a test; there was a right and wrong choice. _It's obvious to pick up the wand and use magic to open the chest, but the keys are a normal choice as well. There might be an enchantment on the chest, too. _

They had not made it easy, that was for sure. She took a few more minutes to contemplate before deciding to stick with the wand. No matter how many times she'd gone through her head, she couldn't see a key protecting her against something magical.

"Alohamora!" The lock, as expected, didn't click open. There was certainly some trick to this.

She pointed her wand at the box and silently willed it to open. Nothing. She willed harder but ended up feeling nauseous. The voice returned.

"You have three minutes to figure it out or the punishment will be severe."

The usual fear filled her and she tried every spell she had learned on the chest, but nothing. Aura held tight to the wand and picked up one key, stuffing it into the lock. At first it seemed like nothing would happen, but a small substance leaked through the cracks of the chest and formed in front of her.

There before her was a quivering house elf, and one she recognized.

"M-Maisy!" She smiled brightly, but the little elf's expression made her take a step back.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but they offered me freedom. I'm sorry!" Maisy took a step forward, shaking violently. She wondered if the elf would attack or just start punishing herself right then and there.

"Maisy, I don't want to hurt you-"

"PLEASE KILL ME!" The elf cut her off, falling to her knees before Aura.

A tear trickled down her cheek as she shook her head. "I can't."

"PLEASE!" The elf raised her palm and a stream of light came sailing full force at her. She used a shield charm, but seconds too late. The force of Maisy's attack knocked the wind out of her and put her on the floor, too.

"I don't want to hurt you!" Aura cried, Maisy was crying too.

"MAISY IS A BAD ELF, PLEASE! YOU HAVE TO SAVE YOURSELF!" Maisy shot another powerful blow that went right through the charm.

Aura gasped and wheezed, knowing her nose was broken. "Stop! Why are you doing this to me?" She cried.

"Maisy was ordered to! SHE WAS ORDERED TO KILL AURA!"

Aura cried and as Maisy raised another hand, she shot a binding spell. "Petrificus totalus!"

Maisy allowed the spell to hit her while crying, "Just kill me, please just kill Maisy, she wants you to. Please kill Maisy, the bad elf. Please!"

Unable to handle the elf's pleas, she pointed her wand at the small trembling creature and silenced her.

She sat on the floor, wanting nothing more than to sob over this terrible task. She knew that if she didn't kill the poor elf, the ministry would have.

"You have one minute to complete the task," The voice was cold, as always. It made Aura tremble.

"I don't want to," She replied, but at the same time she stood on shaking legs and made it over to the table again.

With shaky hands she picked up the remaining key and shoved it into the lock, knowing that if she didn't do it quickly she wouldn't have to courage to do it at all.

The chest flew open and a ball of silvery looking strands came up and out of it. The ball formed slowly into an older version of her, making her gasp in surprise.

"M-"

"Oh child, I didn't want it to come down to this," The astonishing figure, who was much taller and slimmer than Aura, said with a calm expression. She had pointed ears and gleaming silver eyes, her hair the same brown as the girl before her, except it didn't have any orange shine to it.

"Come to wh-what?"

"I left you to suffer in this world because I didn't want to deal with you myself. Oh, well." The figure, with a swipe of her hand, had Aura on the floor grasping her neck.

"Nnn," Was all she could say as she choked and gasped. She was being suffocated, deprived of air. She had always imagined a mother, just never one so cruel, so astonishingly cold that she wished she didn't exist.

"Pain, my child, that's all you would have given me. I'm glad I have the chance to truly discard of you!" She laughed, a merciless laugh that filled the room.

In that instant her head was filled with images. She saw her friends; Census, Raven, Sephora, and strangely enough she even saw Scorpius. In her mind they willed her to try, to fight. Hogwarts called her back…

With great effort she lifted up her wand and screamed the strongest curse she knew. The woman disappeared, laughing as she went. The room went dark and she knew it was over, she had satisfied them. She would go back to her room and have a session of crying, then sleep would take her over and the pain would still be there in the morning. Life seemed hopeless, but she would try. _For Hogwarts, for my friends._


	12. Chapter 12, Many Firsts

That night was a first, it started a series of dreams that continued and picked up where they left off each time she laid her head down to sleep. The dreams weren't scary; not nightmares, but they filled the small figure with such undeniable anger. After fighting her mother, after confronting her, she couldn't believe that another, less cruel mother existed. Her dreams told her otherwise.

"_My sweet girl I know you cannot hear me," She cooed, she said such sweet things. Her voice was so honey-sweet and loving, as a mother's voice should be._

"_But they're going to take you away from me soon. I once heard that people still hear things in their subconscious mind, so I'm going to fill your head with my knowledge every night you sleep warm in your bed," She paused and added "And every night I will not forget to tell you just how much I love you."_

She woke up, shaking the cruel, taunting dream from her head. That had been the first dream, her mother had been similar to the one she'd fought but was still different in many ways. In the dreams, her mother was tall and so beautiful it made her eyes sore. She had cascading dirty blonde hair with silver running through it in streaks. Her eyes were a warm brown, not quite as honey-colored as her own. She had an air of kindness to her that made Aura want to throw up.

"What's _wrong_ with me?!" She yelled at herself, throwing her only pillow against the wall. It didn't relieve the stress, it didn't help any.

As the dreams continued, she learned bizarre things that tended to confuse and frustrate her.

"_We are very powerful, but peaceful creatures. Never forget to be yourself, my little elf baby. No matter what people say out there among the wizards, you have the noble Wood Elf blood in you. Be proud of both bloods that flow through your veins."_

She gagged. It revolted her, how could her dreams be so sickeningly sweet? Her mind seemed so far from it and yet in her sleep, you'd think she longed for it. A mother who wanted her, who loved her and didn't abandon her. _It's all an excuse, my mind is just making up some scenario so that I have an excuse to deny the mother in the test room._

She had been beating herself up over the dreams, over the first test, that time passed by without her realizing it. She underwent a few more tests, but nothing major these times. Simple things, really. Once it had been so easy that she actually just sat down and answered a questionnaire. 

She sat on the bed with her back against the wall and her knees pulled up to her chest. She rested her chin on her knees and closed her eyes, letting her unkempt hair fall over her shoulders and shield her face. It was short, as always. Her hair had never grown in all her life, another fact to set her apart from normal people.

She laughed, a little maniacally, to herself. _Who wants to be normal, anyways?_

Just then the door opened, her eyes snapped open.

"Hello, Aura."

The shock of the familiar, wonderful sounding voice made her come to terms with reality for a moment.

"Lorence!" The small form leaped off the bed and wrapped her too-thin arms around the handsome headmaster. He grinned.

"I'm pleased to see you too, though you're not looking well. Worse than the first time I met you, it seems," His face furrowed with concern.

"I'm fine…unless you're here to tell me I can't go back to Hogwarts. Otherwise I'd ask you to kill me right now," Her face held all the seriousness in the world.

"I'm pleased to tell you that I will not need to kill you, though I wouldn't even if you asked me to," He chuckled, a bell-like laughter that soon had her smiling as well.

"I can't wait until vacation is over."  
"I know child, I'm sorry I let you remain subjected to this cruelty. I wish I could do more; I got letters from the Potters. They're desperate, you know. I hear you sought out Albus Potter your last night at Hogwarts? You seemed to stir something within the Potters. They're furious."

A warm feeling rushed into her cheeks and she realized she was blushing. "I don't know what I was thinking, getting them involved. I was so scared that I was willing to try anything to keep my somewhat-freedom a while longer. I'm just happy I can go back."

His bell-laughter sounded again and she felt so calm, as if the whole vacation was in a past life. Farther away, possibly, though she knew the memories of that first test and the dreams would hit her hard later on.

"You're prepared to start third-year courses when you get back? I assume Professor Cronus has talked to you about this?"

"Yes, yes. I learned everything I could from the books he gave me!" She smiled, her first smile in so many days, It seemed.

"I've talked with the ministry, they think you're finally giving them what they want. It seems that if you keep this up, one day I might be able to save you," He smiled encouragingly, but his eyes pleaded the little girl to resist. Obviously the man was torn.

"I would love to be saved," She said serenely.

"Yes, yes. Well I am here to deliver a few things to you as well. A letter from myself and a letter from each of your friends. That Census Malfoy sure does value your friendship, he forced his unwilling sister _and _brother to sit down and write to you."

"I know how much Raven hates to write," She giggled, excited now. She couldn't wait to hear from her friends. And, strangely, she found herself curious about Scorpius's letter.

The headmaster handed her a stack of letters and, with a sad smile, had to say his goodbye. Aura didn't like it when he left, he made the room so much brighter by being there. _Oh well._ She moved her attention to the stacks of letters in her hands and a grin spread over her face.

She read the one from Census first, it made her laugh and immediately feel better. Raven's was very much like her, gossiping and talking about all the presents she had received for Christmas. Aura smiled, she had forgotten that such a joyous holiday existed.

With curiousity she ripped open Scorpius's neat envelope and read his loopy script. It didn't say much, mostly complained about how his brother was annoying making him write to someone he didn't know very well. Even so she found herself smiling. This was why she could continue living, so many people had come to care about her and she cared about them right back. She wanted with all her heart to be back home at Hogwarts with her friends beside her._ It won't be long now._


	13. Chapter 13, Home Again

"I'm home," She spoke softly as she emerged from the fireplace in the headmaster's office.

"Welcome back," A friendly voice greeted her.

"I'm glad to be back. I can't wait to go see my friends!"

"Yes, yes. But I hope you won't mind waiting a while before seeing your friends? I would like to discuss something with you."

"Sure, I don't mind." She really didn't, all that mattered was being back where she felt more alive, where she more belonged.

"Have a seat," Lorence pulled out a chair and sat opposite from her behind his desk. She took a seat and he waited a moment, clearing his throat before continuing. "How are you, Aura?"

"I'm…better," She said, looking down sadly.

"It took more persuading this time than last, but they wouldn't tell me what happened. Something along the lines of 'her morals are all wrong,' though I don't blame you."

The small girl began to shake in her seat. She pulled her knees up in the chair and hugged onto them, biting her lip to hold back tears. The headmaster waited patiently, but she didn't seem willing to talk.

"Whatever it was, they cannot make it your fault. They are the ones who raised you and didn't teach you correctly, and I know that you are a good person deep down. I know that from just looking into your eyes, child. Please, tell me what happened," He pleaded now, his voice full of meaning.

"But I'm not a good person…the test, it was so hard, I didn't know they would be there."

"They?"

She coughed, still resisting tears; she didn't want to cry in front of the Headmaster. "Does the ministry…Do they own the house elves that work in your kitchen?"

The question caught Lorence off guard, "A few of them, yes. A few ministry workers donated the house elves when I first came into this position. Why?"

"B-because Maisy…She won't be coming back."

The headmaster shifted uneasily when she started to cry.

"I didn't want to, but if I didn't…I thought that they would have tortured her. She was ordered…they ordered her to k-kill me. She was begging, begging so much that it hurt."

"Shh, it's okay. I see what they meant, now. You thought it was the right thing to do, you didn't want her to die at the hands of those who tortured you all those years, did you? You were afraid they would treat her the same, correct?"

"Yes."

"A death at your hands is hard to take, even if it wasn't human. Your connection to the elves is stronger than a normal witch or wizard's. They are like a distant cousin to you, which is why you liked Maisy so much I'm assuming. Many wizards treat the House Elves as if they are just servants. Mostly they enjoy having something to do but I would never force one of the elves here to do anything they did not want to."

"I believe you, you're such a kind person. I'm sorry I'm crying to you…"

"Don't apologize, tears are only natural. For someone with such a sad past I'm surprised that you don't cry every night. But it shows you are strong and I believe you will get over this someday."

She half-smiled, "Then I have no choice but to believe you."

"Good girl. So I'm sure that wasn't all?"

"No," She moved her watery gaze down. "They found her, they tracked her somehow. I thought it was impossible otherwise I would have tried. She said I would have caused her pain, that I was troublesome. She didn't want me, so she dumped me here. She abandon me."

"They tracked your…mother, right?"

"Yes." She wasn't crying anymore, her odd honey eyes were cold and distant.

"What did your mother do?"

"She choked me, she used some strong magic."

"Then what did you do?"

"I threw a curse at her, but she disappeared. Then the test was over."

"I see, I understand."

"Understand what?"

"Why they thought you had no morals. See, they saw Maisy as a friend to you, they thought you would be unable to kill her-"  
"But they would have punished me!"

"I know, I know. They expected you to take the punishment over and over again for your friend. Self sacrifice. Then your mother, no matter how harsh she was they expected you to just sit there and take it."

"I know. I should have, I should have taken the punishment," The tears came back.

"No, no. In this way you are stronger than others. In your mind, your reason for killing Maisy was justified and your mother hurt you much worse than you hurt her."

She stopped responding at this point, her head hung low and she wiped tear after tear from her face, but they didn't stop like she willed them to.

"Go now, seek your friends. Let them help you through this, don't suffer alone," His words were forceful but kind, he meant for her to see that she didn't have to keep it to herself.

"Okay," She said softly after a few minutes of sniffling. She stood slowly and left the room, walking down the spiral staircase until she was in the familiar hall. Aura walked down the hall slowly, holding herself together as best as she could.

Whispers carried through the halls as she passed by students, they had also just arrived. The beautiful girl heard a few of the whispers, they were saying things like 'she's been expelled!' and 'I bet she's pregnant!' and other stupid things that she didn't care to hear.

Her tiny feminine feet carried her out of the castle and straight to the usual spot. The lake seemed so peaceful; friends were meeting up in a happy reunion. She scanned the groups until she found her own; three pale blondes and a brunette. Well, Sephora's hair had a sheen of red to it now.

Scropius turned around and nudged his sister who followed his gaze.

"HEY! Aura, over here!!"

She found herself running, throwing her arms around a confused Raven.

"I'm happy to see you all!" She left the arms of Raven to hug onto Sephora, then Scorpius, and finally Census. They all seemed confused as the small girl smiled.

"I'm starving," Aura smiled widely, secretly finding everyone's faces hilarious.

"Let's get something to eat?" Sephora suggested as she thrust an arm through Scorpius's. He didn't seem to mind.

"Is something going on between those two?" Aura whispered to Census and he chuckled. It felt good to hear his laugh again.

"Raven leaked Sephora's crush to Scorpius and he seemed pretty pleased. Probably be an item within the next week if they don't make it official today."

She giggled, able to hear the grin in his voice. "I really missed you all."

"We missed you too, Elf Girl," Census put an arm around his friend and lead her into the great hall after the rest of their friends.


	14. Chapter 14, Easy Adjustment

"Aura, I'm so glad it's all worked out!" Cronus was standing on top of his desk, using his wand to arrange unique objects around the room.

"Me too, sir," She smiled at the odd teacher, he was her favorite still. The small form sat down in her usual seat without thinking.

"Ah, it seems that seat has been assigned to one of my problem children, though I hate assigning seats. Hmm…well I s'pose I could-"

"It's alright sir, I don't mind sitting elsewhere. Is this seat taken?" She took the seat right next to her usual one.

The professor chuckled and shook his head, "No, no go ahead. Though I guess it's a good thing to seat a role model next to a problem child."

She smiled along with him, wondering who the 'problem child' was. It didn't take long for her to figure it out, and it pleased her to know that she was sitting next to her best friend.

"Census! So you cause Professor Cronus problems?"

"How did you know?! It's only your first day!" Census still smiled as he sat back in his seat and set his feet on the desk.

She just giggled and looked forward, class was going to start. Defense Against the Dark Arts was her first class of the day and she was very much a morning person.

"Pssst!" The female Malfoy prodded Aura in the back.

"Er, Raven, you should be taking notes," She didn't know what to do; talk to her friend or ignore her.

"Here I thought having you in class with me would be fun…" She sighed and started chatting with the girl in the seat next to her.

"Ah-HUM!" Cronus cleared his throat loudly as he paced along the front of the room. "That concludes our notes, wasn't that long was it? Just remember, it was every bit as hard on me as it was on you."

A few students commented on this and the teacher chuckled, not really caring. She heard Raven mutter something about the professor being _so hot._

"So, we are going to be learning about curses today. Who would like to model one of said curses?"

Census raised his hand immediately along with a few others. Raven was too deep in conversation with her neighbor to care, and the rest of the students shared the same thoughts as Aura, _Who in their right mind would want to be cursed willingly?_

"Ah, come on Aura! You can handle it!"

She blushed crimson and stood from her seat, walking over to the teacher at the front of the class.

"Now, I'm going to put a 'stupid' curse on her. The word is _Bardus._ Everyone got that?"

The students mumbled 'yes' in unison and he seemed pleased with himself.

"Ready, Aura?"

She nodded, just hoping to get it over with.

"_Bardus!"_ With the flick of his wand, the curse hit Aura square in the head.

Nothing seemed to change, her brilliant eyes stayed closed, her fists clenched at her sides.

"Aura?" She heard Census ask, the grin in his voice so obvious.

Her mind slurred a little bit, she felt some of her thoughts being suppressed. Normally her mind was so wide and open, now it felt so small like she couldn't comprehend too much at once.

"Yes?" She asked her friend as she opened her odd eyes, trying not to focus too much on him.

"She doesn't seem stupider, teacher," Raven apparently was paying attention now.

"Yeah!" a few students seconded Raven's statement.

"Interesting. Aura dear, tell me the square root of one-hundred."

"Umm…t-ten?" She had to concentrate to figure it out; the answer normally would have come straight to her mind before she had to really think. The curse had an effect on her but was more annoying than anything else.

"Well it seems she's a bit slowed down but otherwise normal. Oh well." He pointed his wand at her and spoke the anti-curse. "_Regulus!_"

Aura felt her mind expand to its normal size and instantly felt relieved. "May I sit?"

"Yes, yes my girl. Please do," He smiled at her, wanting her to know that he wasn't disappointed with her at all. He was actually proud of her, any full-grown witch or wizard would have fallen under that curse, but she withheld.

As she was returning to her seat, Census was called up to model the same spell. Once cursed, he smiled stupidly, his eyes blank.

"Census, what is the square root of one-hundred?" Cronus crooned, obviously enjoying this.

"Duurrr…umm….Cat?"

Everyone giggled, including the teacher.

"This is the usual affect, children. Census just heard the answer and still can't figure it out," the Professor was beaming now; this was one of his favorite parts of teaching. "_Regulus._"

Census rubbed his forehead and sat down. "Maybe I shouldn't have volunteered, gave me a headache…"

She picked up her wand and pointed it at her friend's temples. With a whisper, a thread of light flew into him and he sat up, smiling his usual smile.

"Thanks, Elf Girl."

"'Welcome."

Next class was Care of Magical Creatures with her second and almost forgotten favorite teacher, Hagrid. As she walked along the pathway with Raven and Census to Hagrid's hut she couldn't help but feel a shiver run down her spine. It brought back pleasant memories, and along with the pleasant memories were sad and painful memories as well.

"You alright?" Raven hooked her arm through Aura's.

"Fine, fine," She put on a smile and allowed her friend to walk close to her. The half-giant stood ahead, waving at his students with a smile. His dark hair from Aura's memory was graying, his beard slightly longer than remembered.

Books growled and wiggled under students' arms. Aura smiled at hers and pet its spine, already knowing how it worked. Her book calmed, making what sounded like a purring noise.

"Righ' Aura, good job!" Hagrid laughed his deep laugh and turned, walking into the forest. His students followed and she followed everyone else.

"Do you know him somehow? A friend of mine who's a first year said that you were talking to him like he was your best friend or something when you got off the train that first time," Raven whispered.

She smiled; _I should have known she would have heard some kind of gossip about me. I'm surprised she didn't ask if I were pregnant. _"Yeah, he sort of discovered me," She said with a nostalgic smile.

"Oh, okay then," Raven didn't care to find out what she meant.

The class followed Hagrid in a somewhat-line until he stopped, turning to motion for silence. The students stopped their chatter immediately, though a few still whispered softly.

They continued forward and within a few minutes they were stopped again. Ahead was an odd black creature. It's over-all shape was much like a horse's with wings, though many points of its body was sunken in. Only a few students gasped or made a noise, others seemed to look confused.

"What is it?" She piped up, taking a few steps closer to get a good look at it. The dark creature looked up and cocked it's head to the side in a curious fashion.

"They're called Thestrals. They're very gen'le creatures with a docile nature. Lots of people avoid 'em because they're, er, different. Even so they're good for transportation when a broom is ou' of the question," Hagrid seemed so thrilled when he talked about these creatures, though anyone who knew him knew about his odd infatuation with all creatures.

"What _are_ you talking about?" Bran Gordy stepped up; sneering at what seemed an empty space ahead of him.

"Ah, I forgo', well anyone who can't see anythin' in the clearing, raise yer hand."

More than half the students raised their hands. Those who didn't raise their hands were Aura, Census, Raven, and Milton; a student from Hufflepuff.

"Well Thestrals can only be seen by those who have seen death. Which means those of you who didn't raise yer hand have seen someone die before. Am I righ'?"

Aura was shocked to turn and see her two friends nod their heads. She found herself wondering why they could see the Thestrals, too…If maybe they've gone through some of the pain she had.

"Well, who wants ter pet it?"

Aura smiled and raised her hand, shocked at her action. It wasn't like her to be so willing, so quick to volunteer.

"A'right Aura, come along then. Don' be afraid, it's gen'le."

She stepped forward, not even worried. She had a soft spot for all animals, no matter what kind. She put her hand out and the black creature stepped forward, nuzzling his muzzle against her palm.

"I wanna pet it too!" She heard Census cry. He ran forward, making the Thestral take a step back. "Oops," He muttered as he slowed his pace.

"It's alright, he's not afraid," Aura turned to smile at her friend as she patted the creature's cheek. He put out his hand for the creature to sniff.

"Anyone else?" Hagrid called, though most of the students didn't want to because they couldn't see it.

"Ew, no thanks," Raven stepped back.

"A'right, okay you dun have to. Anyways it seems class is nearly over. If you would proceed to the castle and not wan'er off the path, that would be great."

Most of the students filtered off in pairs and eventually left Hagrid, Census, and Aura behind.

"I like him; does he have a name Hagrid?"

Hagrid came closer and patted the Thestrals head.

"No, I find if I name 'em I only wan' to take 'em home wi' me."

"Would you mind if I gave him a name?" The small girl turned around, pleading the half-giant with her eyes.

"Fine, fine."

"Hippocrates, that's what I'll name him!"

"Ew, what kind of name is that?" Census asked, scrunching up his face as he pretended to be disgusted.

"It means 'horse power,' so I felt it fit,"

"Hippocrates, eh? I think he likes it!" Hagrid chuckled.

Hippocrates pawed the dirt and huffed, nodding his head ferociously before nuzzling against Aura's shoulder.

"I think so, too!" She giggled, petting her favorite Thestral.

The common room was quiet once she entered; she finished her classes feeling content with how things were. Things wouldn't be as easy as before, she was sure with the load of homework that she had that she wouldn't be spending free time by the lake anymore. Even so, she welcomed the challenge and the chance to be with Census and Raven.

"Hey Elf Girl, got a minute?" Census grinned as he walked past her.

"Yeah yeah, but I should be doing homework so make it quick 'kay?"

He let out a sigh and punched her shoulder playfully. "You take it so seriously! Oh, by the way, can I copy your notes?"

"NO!"

He laughed and ran up the stairs to the boys' quarters. The elven girl sat down and pulled her hair out of her face, waiting patiently.

He came back down, his hands behind his back. "Close your eyes!"

She let her lips curl up into a smile as her eyelids fell over her glossy orbs.

"Hold out your hands," He said before setting a wrapped box into her hand, "Okay, open your eyes!"

She did and found herself staring. "What's this?"

"Your Christmas present! I wasn't sure if you would even get the letter so I waited to give this to you. Kinda forgot about it though, so it's later than I expected. Still, open it!"

She found her cheeks flush with color as she pulled on the green paper. A small box sat in her hand. She pulled it open to find a bronze chain with the Ravenclaw symbol on a charm at the end of it.

"It's wonderful, I love it! But you really shouldn't-"

"No, no I wanted to. I hate it when girls are all emotional and say 'you shouldn't have!' even though they're happy about it. I know you like it; you've been wanting something to show your school spirit right?"

She smiled up at him, nodding. It was surprising to her that he caught on to that. She had been wanting something more than her robes with the one little emblem on it, something to show her devotion to her favorite place on earth.

"Good, and before you add 'I didn't get you anything' I want you to know that I don't care. My parents are so stinking rich it's annoying how many gifts I have to open for Christmas. Besides, I know you couldn't have."

Aura threw her arms around her best friend, "Thank you so much!"

He smiled and hugged her back.

_My friends are definitely worth living for._


	15. Chapter 15, Mysteries and Friendship

The week came and went all too quickly. The young girl sat under a tree right by the lake, reading a book just for the pleasure of it. Her friends decided to go to Hogsmeade that weekend and she encouraged it. Being a first-year, she wasn't able to go just yet. _I doubt I'd get permission, anyways._

She was fingering the necklace Census gave her without realizing it while reading her textbook prominently. After a few hours she stretched out, setting her book aside. It was a calm and lazy Saturday, the sun high in the sky.

A screech ripped in the distance and her eyes brightened. Aura jumped to her feet and was running at an amazing speed, ripping through the trees until she was able to throw her arms around Hippocrates' neck.

"I missed you!" The young girl kissed his sunken, black face before climbing onto him. He bucked, though was careful not to throw her off, and ran through the forest, letting his wings create a stronger force.

"_Faster!_" She spoke in her first tongue without realizing it. The horse obeyed.

Throughout that week she had only been able to visit him twice, but even so she had strengthened their bond. She couldn't imagine not knowing him at this point, the Thestral belonged to Aura.

Hippocrates slowed suddenly, pawing the ground. They were getting too deep into the forest, before long she wouldn't recognize any of the paths.

"_Let's go back,"_ She whispered into his ear, her soft language trickling smoothly in the air. As soon as she said it, the winged horse turned and headed back towards the castle and the more familiar paths.

He stopped at the edge of the forest, pawing the ground while huffing.

"You brute!" She giggled as she climbed off his back. She ran her hand from his broad shoulder, just beneath the wing, to his mane and patted his neck gently. He snorted in response.

"Be good, Hippocrates. I'll see you again tomorrow if I can, okay?"

"A-HAH!"

Aura turned, frightened temporarily. Relief flooded her as she saw Census walking up; Raven, Scorpius, and Sephora following short after.

"How can you kiss that thing?" Raven was asking as she came up, her nose scrunched up.

"He's a sweet boy," She said defiantly as she stood in front of the Thestral. He nudged her lovingly in the shoulder blade, wanting attention.

"You're a riot," Scorpius smiled. Aura found him smiling more now that he and Sephora were an item.

"Is that one of those creatures that pulls the carriages?" Sephora asked as she stood slightly back, though she wasn't afraid.

"Yeah," Census walked over and gave Hippocrates a pat on the flank. He snorted before whirling around and prodding Census to pet him.

"Cool! Can I pet him?" The brunette smiled. She now had sleek, shiny brown hair without the tinge of red.

"Sure Sephie," Aura smiled a little shyly. She still didn't know her that well, but she thought of her as a friend.

"Sephie? I like that. Cute!" Sephora threw her arms around the small girl before pulling away and giving her attention to the Thestral.

The little elven girl found herself flustered, but happy. "His name is Hippocrates," She said brightly as she too walked up to the horse.

"Can we get something to eat?" Aura's blemish-free cheeks turned a soft rose color, she hated that she was always hungry lately.

"I can't go, and neither can my brothers," Raven sighed softly.

"Oh, why not?" Sephora turned to Scorpius, her bottom lip puffed out in a pout.

"Our father's coming to visit; he wants to have a conference with all our teachers or something. Anyways, see you back in the common room," Census gave a soft wave, but his usual smile had long since vanished from his face.

The three Malfoys left, whispering amongst each other as they left the elf and brunette behind.

"Do you want to go have lunch then?" Sephora smiled kindly and Aura found herself nodding.

"You don't mind hanging out with a younger girl? You're a sixth year after all. Well, that's what Raven said unless I misheard…"

"Yes, I'm a sixth year and I have no problem with younger people! You're cool, Elf Girl!"

_I suppose the name stuck, _She found herself thinking. That was Census's nickname for her but she found more and more people calling her that.

Sephie stuck her arm around the smaller girl's shoulder and they entered the castle. She found Sephora's presence delightful and comforting. They ate together and learned more about each other, forming a stronger bond.

"Mum left us; it's just me and my dad. He's a cool guy, we get along really well. Anyways I heard you've been taken in by the ministry? They keep you there or do you get to live with someone when they don't need you?"

Her questions were a bit forward, but Aura found herself calm and collected.

"I used to live with the Potters. Hagrid found me when I was six and gave me to them in hopes that they would take me in. They did, I was pretty happy from what I can remember, but the ministry stepped in once they learned that I wasn't a full-blooded witch. I live there, in the department of Racial Inspection. They gave me my own little room and they run some tests on me," She stared down at her empty plate, hoping she wouldn't be prodded more. She didn't want to go into detail.

"Is it bad there? I mean, I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable or anything…"

"Not so bad," She responded immediately, "much better now that I get to come to Hogwarts!" Aura made herself look up and put on a cheery expression. _I should spare her; she doesn't want to hear about my stupid life._

"Oh, that's good!" The older girl smiled, glad that she hadn't offended her newest friend.

"So, do you have a pet? You've met my pet. Well, he's sort of mine. I've kinda just claimed him, but still," Aura smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, I have Hera. She's the greatest owl, though she's getting a bit old. Had her since first year! Dad bought her for me for a good luck present."

"Sounds wonderful, I wish I could have a pet to keep with me here. I couldn't deprive Hippocrates from the wild, the forest is his home."

"Yeah, I understand. You're an animal lover, aren't you?"

Aura brightened, smiling widely.

The tiny girl answered the eagle knocker correctly and entered the common room.

"Have you seen Census?" She asked a few Ravenclaws who were sitting around. Most ignored her, but a few gave her their attention.

"The blonde kid? Nope haven't seen him," One kid said before blowing a big bubble with magically enhanced gum.

"Malfoy, he hasn't been in here yet. I've been here pretty much all day so I'm positive," A fourth-year flashed a smile before returning to her book.

"Thanks," She muttered and took a seat amongst the others, though unconsciously she sat as far away from everyone as possible. A few hours went by and she found herself restless, her fingers fidgeting with the book in her hands. She'd already read it three times now and wished Census would get back so that she would have something better to do.

As if on cue, an exhausted looking boy walked through the door, his blonde hair messy as if he'd been shoving it out of his face all afternoon.

"You're back!" Aura's voice squeaked as she jumped up from the couch, running across the nearly empty common room to embrace her friend.

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?" She let him go and looked up at him, her eyes wide with curiosity and worry.

"Not much, just had a hard day is all. Do we have any snacks left from the kitchen runs?" He smiled a tired smile and the elven girl didn't buy it.

"Why did your dad come? Is something wrong?"

"It's just…hard to talk about. I promise I won't let it run my life and I'll tell you when I'm ready, 'kay? Or else you could go pester Raven," His fine lips slanted down into a frown.

"I understand, no big deal. You sit down and relax, I'll bring out our snack stash," She gave him an encouraging smile and left to the girl's dorms. When she came back, she had a medium sized bag in her arms that was overloaded with goodies.

"Oh thank goodness!" Census flashed his normal smile, much to Aura's relief, and started unloading the food with a ravenous look in his eye.

Aura smiled, watching her friend change immediately. There was so much she didn't know about him, but with Hogwarts becoming a regular thing she had a few years to learn all about him.

"Eff grrr," Census had his mouth stuffed, but the small girl next to him understood that he was trying to say 'Elf Girl.'

"Yes?"

He swallowed the food in his mouth before continuing, "I overheard the Transfiguration teacher talking about something that I want to try. Since you're so good at magic and all, I was wondering if you would try it with me? That way if anything goes wrong with me, you can tell me how to fix it or something."

"Try? Like what?"

He grinned mischievously and nabbed up a loaf of pumpkin bread before rushing into the boys dorms, laughing as he went.


	16. Chapter 16, Mischievous

Over the next few days she didn't really get a chance to ask Census any of the questions she had stored for him. He was so full of mystery that it was eating her up; her curiosity was at its peak.

First chance she got was in Defense Against the Dark Arts when Census finally showed up. He hadn't been in any of the classes they had together for the past two days and she had only seen him once, lazing around the common room. But, when he spied her, he left the room before she could say anything at all.

"Census, what-"

"Ah, I see you've honored us with your presence, Mr.Malfoy!" The pleasant ring of Professor Cronus's voice echoed in the rather large classroom.

"Sorry sir, haven't been feeling well. Aura promised to help me catch up, though;" He cast a side grin to his friend before straightening up.

"Ah, very much like her. Anyways, so today's lesson consists of foul smelling curses…" Cronus's voice drifted off into the background as Aura focused on her friend.

She ripped out a piece of parchment and scribbled; _Where have you been?_

He wrote back beneath her neat script in his own messy one; _I've been studying, tell you later._

Aura grimaced and crumpled the parchment before stuffing it in her bag. She tried to focus on what the teacher was saying but her mind was focused on Census's odd behavior. _Since when does he study?_ She found herself full with questions and no answers.

At the end of class she made sure to not let him get away.

"Tell me what you're up to!" The small girl crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the blonde boy inquisitively.

"Alright, but you have to ditch class with me."

"N-no! How could you even ask-? Or think-?"

Census chuckled loudly. "You're so predictable. Anyways it won't kill you, you probably read ahead again and already know everything there is to know in all of your classes. You're just like that. So you're going to pretend to be sick and come with me, I have something I need to show you."

Her cheeks flooded with warmth as she was faced with this dilemma. He was right; she had read each of her text books at least three times over and new all the teacher's lessons in advance. On the other hand, how could she lie? She was so grateful to Headmaster Lorence and all that he had done for her, what kind of person would she be if she just disregarded it lightly? Then again, her friend needed her…

"Alright, fine, but I won't do it ever again!"

"I knew I could count on you!"

--

"Where are we going?!" Aura didn't like following her friend blindly.

"You'll see, stop worrying about it," Census dragged her across the grounds, enjoying his friend's misery.

With a sigh of defeat, Aura was silent until they came to an abrupt stop.

"Ah!" Aura had to jump out of the way of a knobby branch that had tried to come crashing down on her.

"Careful! This is the Whomping Willow; it'll mangle you if it gets a hold of you!" Census dragged his friend back a few more feet before grabbing up a large branch and proceeding to poke a knot in the tree. It took him a few attempts to get the tree to stop thrashing.

"C'mon, it's only temporarily paralyzed."

"Oh," Aura walked forward and watched the blonde boy escaped own a hole before following him down. "Where does this lead?" She asked as she clutched onto the sleeve of his robe.

"The shrieking shack!"

"Oh."

They were quiet until they reached the shabby little shack. It took a minute for the small girl to take it in. The room was old and had a thick layer of dust over most parts. She ran her finger over a mantle, leaving a line across it.

"Ew," She said as she rubbed her dirty finger on her robes. "So what'd you need to tell me?"

"Okay so I found a bunch of books at the library and I asked my dad to send some from our library-"

"Is this about your dad?"

"No it's not, it's about-"

"Really? 'Cause if it is I understand."

Census glared, "No, it's not!"

"Then what's this about?"

"If you'd just let me talk I'd tell you!!"

Tension filled the air but disappeared after a few seconds of silence.

"Do you really want to know about my dad?" Census hung his head, staring at the floor.

"I- I didn't mean it like that. I just wanted to know what's up with you, you've been acting so oddly since your dad visited. I'm worried about you, Census," The small girl sat down on a creaky chair and stared at the floor, too.

"Mum got pregnant, dad was so happy. Everything was great, that is until we found out that her body was rejecting the baby. She suffered. We all found her in terrible condition when we went home for Christmas. She was having the baby, we all stood with her at St. Mungo's, but in the end she died and so did the baby. Dad feels that he has to make more of an effort now that mum's gone, so he wants to have meetings with our teachers every few months to check in on us," Census was shaking a little, Aura had to get up and help him into a chair.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize…"

"You didn't realize that you're not the only one in pain?" He snapped, glaring up at her. She stepped away, not used to this side of him. What was worse was that his words were true.

"I'm sorry, Aura, really. I didn't mean to lash out at you," Census reached out to grab the small girl's wrist and pull her back. "This is why I have to do something, I need to get my mind off of this. Dad is driving me insane, he's trying to be strong for us when we all know that it hurts him the most. So will you help me?" He looked up at her, his eyes shining brightly with hope.

"Anything, just tell me what to do," Her eyes were full of tears, her voice was soft.

"I've done a lot of research, I think we can do it. Well, at least you can."

"Do what, exactly?" Aura rubbed the tears from her eyes as she tried to pull herself together.

"Become Animagus."

They spent time arguing and looking through books before the elven girl was faced with a decision.

"You really think this will help you? It says it can be dangerous…"

"I'm sure, Elf Girl, I'm positive. This is the first time in my life that I've been sure about something so big."

"Alright, I'll do it, but what are we going to do about registration?"

For the first time that day, Census smiled his usual smile and laughed. "We're going to ignore it and do this anyways!"

Over the next few months as school came to a close, the odd little elven girl and the youngest Malfoy boy had been rarely seen within their group of friends.

"I know Census is up to something, but Aura doesn't seem like the type to do anything that would get her in trouble," Raven was sitting at the lake with the only couple in their group, Scorpius and Sephora.

"He may have dragged her into whatever he's doing, she'd do anything for any one of us I'm sure," Sephora snuggled into Scorpius's arms.

"We should talk to Census, I'm a bit worried Ray," Scorpius tightened his hold on his girlfriend and gave Raven a serious look.

"Alright, fine. I'll see if I can talk to them in class on Monday. I don't ever see them anywhere else anymore, anyways," Raven stood and left the couple to find some other friends to be with. The normally crude Raven was somewhat thoughtful towards her friend and brother's relationship.

The Malfoy girl stood outside of Defense Against the Dark Arts class, her arms folded across her chest as if she were already accusing them of treachery.

"Aura, can I talk to you?" Raven watched her friend walk towards the classroom.

"Er, I'm not feeling all that well…Can we talk later?"

"No, we need to talk _now_!"

"A-hem, sorry sis but she's not feeling well and I'm going to have her tell the teacher. C'mon Aura, I'll take you back to the common room as soon as we talk to the Professor…" Census put his arm around the small girl's shoulders and led her into the classroom past Raven's accusing eyes.

Raven sat next to Scorpius at the Slytherin table for supper that night.

"Where's Seph?"

"Had detention," Scorpius grinned. He loved that his girlfriend was a 'bad girl.'

"Well something is definitely up with Census and he's dragged Aura into it, too. They don't look well, Census looks the worst. They had bags under their eyes and I'm almost positive that our little brother had a black spot on his nose…"

"I don't know what to do other than talk to dad or the Headmaster, but I think that's a bit rash. They'll tell us what's up when they're ready, I'm sure. Let's just give it a bit of time."

"Fine," Raven agreed grudgingly.


	17. Chapter 17 Wonderment

"You can do it!" Aura yelled encouragement to her writhing friend.

"It hurts!" Census lay on the floor, pulling at his darkened hair. His features were odd, his nose and mouth had twisted into what looked like a beak and little dark spots covered his pale skin.

"Don't you dare stop now!" Her eyes glowed with frustration as she hid her fear. If this went wrong, if he gave up, then there was a possibility that he would die or never be the same again.

"I WON'T!" The boy's form immediately shifted, forming a small animal.

"You're a-"

The dark brown owl before her glared his magnificent yellow eyes at her, warning her not to laugh.

"How cute!!" Aura flopped onto the floor and picked up the great owl, cuddling him. "Since you call me Elf Girl, I'm calling you Hoot from now on!"

The owl made a weird cough-like sound which Aura took to be laughter.

"Can you shift back?" She was worried now, that was another obstacle to overcome…

The laughing bird wriggled out of Aura's grasp and took off into the air. He hovered by the roof before losing altitude and transforming back into a blonde, pale-faced boy that lay in a heap on the floor.

"Ow, crash landing," Census grinned as he rubbed the back of his head. He turned his attention to the small girl that was staring at him from across the room, "Your turn!"

Aura nodded, she had guessed he would make her try today as well. Census took her place in the corner of the room and she went to the middle where they had cleared away some dusty furniture. The shrieking shack did make good for privacy.

"How exactly did you do it?" Her voice shook a little with her nerves.

"I just pushed away my most human feelings and imagined myself becoming wild or something. I dunno, but I imagine you'll do just fine."

A little shakily, the small girl sat cross-legged in the center of the room and closed her eyes. She sorted through her thoughts and tried to do what Census explained. It had only been ten minutes when her friend gasped, causing her to open her eyes and lose concentration.

"Rrr?" Her words turned into a growl.

"You're beautiful, as always. No fair, why do you get a cool animal?" Census was grinning.

_What does he mean?_ Aura tried to stand up, finding that she felt steadier. Her brilliant golden eyes fell down to her feet which were white, furry, and smaller. She closed her eyes again, willing herself back to normal.

"You always have it easy," Census whined, though he was still grinning.

"What was I?" The small girl scurried from the center of the room as if the room itself was what made her transform.

"A white fox. Better than an ugly old owl! Though I guess it's kinda cool, I can fly and you can't!"

Aura put her hands over her heart, her eyes distant for a moment. She tried to imagine herself as any other animal, but now it seemed all too obvious. She smiled to herself, "I think this went really well."

"Yup, though it's getting late and I'm starving. We might have to go talk to the elves."

"You go on ahead, I'm going to go visit Hippocrates and tell him the news!"

The secret between herself and Census was somehow thrilling. She found that the next week of classes was antagonizing when she could be outside, racing along the forest as a white blur…

"Aura, please demonstrate," Professor Spitzor tapped hard on the girl's desk.

"Ah, s-sorry! Um…what were we doing?" She blushed, hating that she got caught slacking off.

"Page ninety, figure it out quickly." The professor gave Aura a stern look, but she didn't look mad or menacing. The transfiguration teacher had a soft spot for the odd girl, as most of her teachers did.

"_Masminx," _Aura pointed her wand at the horned toad before her and watched it turn into a ferret.

"Good. Please pay attention, child."

Census snickered somewhere from the back of the room.

"Want to sneak out tonight and play in the forbidden forest?" Census walked next to his friend, all too serious.

"I do…I have been craving the change but I can't get in trouble anymore over it. You saw me just now in class, I'm so distracted," She covered her face with her hands to add proof to her embarrassment.

"Well we'll just have to wait until the weekend's out. Besides, my brother and sister have been looking at me funny, they think I'm plotting something evil. We should go sit with them at the lake today, for lunch. I think that'll make them feel a little better, seeing that we're still alive and normal."

"_Normal_? We can change into animals!" She hissed at him, glaring.

Census grinned and dragged her out of the castle. As usual, their group was sitting under the thickest tree right by the lake.

"Hi," Aura smiled shyly as they approached.

"OH MY GOD!" Raven jumped up and threw her arms around the small girl and whacked her brother hard on his arm. "You guys totally disappeared off the face of this earth! I swear, I thought you'd died or something!"

"Just been busy," Census shrugged and went to sit with Seph and Scorpius.

"I thought you said he looked like he was dying?" Sephora inspected the younger Malfoy boy. "He looks like he's glowing; too happy for his own good," She grinned giving him a playful punch in the shoulder.

"Ah, you're all so cruel! Aura, save me! They're beating me up!" Census rubbed his arm and scooted away from the others, pretending to be hurt.

"Why are you always dragging her into your problems?" Raven thrust her arm through Aura's and made her go sit with everyone.

"He's just playing, he hasn't done anything to me," Aura could feel the tense atmosphere and didn't like it.

"Well it's good that you guys decided to join us again," Scorpius smiled calmly.

"Thanks," Aura smiled shyly at him as well as Sephora.

"You look like you're glowing, too! What potions have you been taking? I want some!" Sephora laughed and fell back, lying down in the soft grass.

"Nothing, I think we had caught a cold or something so we are just glad that it's gone," Aura was surprised at how composed she was as she lied.

"Yup, I feel great now!" Census added with a chuckle.

"I missed you all," Aura kept her gaze down as she blushed.

"Aww!" Sephora left the clutches of her boyfriend and hugged onto the younger girl, "We missed you too!"

The weekend didn't seem to come fast enough, though being reunited with their friends seemed to make things easier. Early Saturday morning Aura waited down in the common room for Census to wake up. He woke less than an hour later, just as anxious as she was to get out and make the change.

They scurried from the common room, skipping breakfast completely, and walked across the grounds with amazing vigor. As soon as they were safely hidden within the trees of the forbidden forest, they stopped.

"You wanna change first?" Census was pulling at his robe, probably not even realizing that he was.

"I think you should," Aura flashed him a smile.

"Alright, alright…" The blonde boy closed his eyes and waited for what felt like a long time before his features changed. Great wings erupted where his arms used to be and before long his whole body had taken on a smaller shape.

"You're so cute, Hoot!"

The bird screeched.

"Alright, I know, my turn." Aura was quicker; it only took a few minutes until her body had taken on that of a fox's. Her pure white coat was shimmering from the little bit of sunlight that escaped through the trees.

It was quite a site, watched the white fox chase after the brown owl. They moved freely through the forest and even dared to run on the outskirts of the castle grounds. Only one pair of eyes caught a glimpse of their rapid, playful movement.

Rubeus Hagrid had his breath ripped out of him as he saw the oddest site. An arctic fox bounded after a simple barn owl, they seemed to be playing.

"Well tha's odd…" The bearded half-giant mumbled to himself.

_Shall we head back?_ Aura barked in her new animal language.

_I'll beat you there!_ Census screeched joyfully as he whirred through the trees, his wings giving him a bit of an edge to the land-bound fox.

_You're on._


End file.
